


The Path You Choose

by Lucifer_in



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Post-War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-04 19:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12777429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifer_in/pseuds/Lucifer_in
Summary: Even when Draco does nice things, he can never fully rid himself of the guilt and shame that have accompanied him his whole life. Luckily, Harry is neither stupid nor blind and sees exactly what's going on inside Draco, no matter how hard he tries to hide it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This came pretty much out of nowhere and is based on my favourite headcanon from the films, a deleted scene where Draco throws Harry his wand in his fight against Voldemort. I have no idea why whey cut this out and I am still so unbelievably mad. I wish this was in the books, too.
> 
> There will be at least another part to this. The title is inspired by a beautiful quote I read today 
> 
> “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.”  
> \- Brodi Ashton, Everneath

„HARRY!!!“ Draco cried and threw the wand, his own wand, towards him. If Harry could use it to destroy the Dark Lord, Draco would gladly die defenceless. Harry needed the wand more than he did because he had lost his own.. and what was Draco’s life worth in comparison to Harry’s and the lives of all the others, anyway..

——

  
„DRACO!! DRACO??? MALFOY WHERE ARE YOU?? DRACO, ANSWER ME!!“

Harry ran around the battlefield, panicking, the fact that he had destroyed Voldemort only minutes ago already forgotten over the fact that he couldn’t find Draco anywhere. He had given him his wand.. if he had died therefore, Harry would never be able to forgive himself. How was he supposed to live with that knowledge? And without Draco?

„Harry!!“

Harry whirled around.

„HERMIONE, HAVE YOU SEEN DRACO, HE THREW ME HIS WAND, IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT I COULD KILL VOLDEMORT, BUT I CAN‘T FIND HIM ANYWHERE, MERLIN WHAT IF HE IS..“

„Harry!!“ she pulled him into a bone crushing embrace. „You made it, you saved us all, you defeated HIM..“

„NO HERMIONE, YOU DON‘T UNDERSTAND, IT WAS DRACO, I‘D LOST MY WAND, HE GAVE ME HIS AND NOW.. I CAN‘T FIND HIM!!“ his eyes were infinitely wide, his face so pale and smeared with blood, and he looked around like a madman.

„Mate, you did it!!! You..“

„RON WHERE IS DRACO??? HAVE YOU SEEN DRACO OR HIS PARENTS ANYWHERE? I CAN‘T..“

Harry now looked on the verge of one of his panic attacks, his breathing going ragged, a coppery taste on his tongue and a blindingly hot pain in his solar plexus.

„Harry, calm down, man, he must be somewhere around here, he cannot just have vanished, or can he?“ Ron scratched his ear and looked around foolishly.

„NO RON YOU DON‘T UNDERSTAND, HE GAVE HIS WAND TO ME!!! HE WAS COMPLETELY DEFENCELESS, I NEED TO KNOW WHERE HE.. THAT HE..“

„Harry, LOOK! He‘s there, on the stairs, with his parents!“

Harry looked up, saw Draco climbing the stairs towards the entrance of the Great Hall with two similarly white blond shapes next to him who could only be his parents, and took off without another word, racing to the end of the stairs and then clambering up them as if his life depended on it.

„DRACO!!“ he yelled and Draco immediately turned around.

„Harry,“ he whispered so quietly that Harry, still a few stairs away, could only see his lips moving.

Harry’s eyes filled with tears of relief and he had to focus really hard and blink rapidly to keep from stumbling and smashing face first into the steps right at the feet of the Malfoy family. Exactly two seconds and 12 stairs later, he crushed into Draco, throwing his arms around his neck and squeezing him so tight that their breaths caught in their chests.. because of that and because, maybe, of the unspeakable fear and hopelessness not to see each other ever again which was now replaced by.. everything else. Everything someone COULD feel, relief, comfort in each other, unbelievable exhaustion, and a bliss that shone brighter than any Patronus and that actually lit up the air around them. From the corners of his eyes, Harry could see Narcissa Malfoy gently tugging her gaping husband along towards the Great Hall, Lucius’ eyes narrowed in his typical How-Dare-You look. Harry took that as a good sign, because as long as Lucius Malfoy had the time to despise him still, none of the three could be hurt seriously.

„Draco..“ he breathed into Draco’s neck, his arms still holding him so tightly that he wasn’t sure he could actually let go of him ever again.

„Harry..“ Draco whispered back, his own arms around Harry’s waist, pressing his body as close to Harry’s as physically possible.

„I thought you were..“

Harry’s breath hitched and he swallowed hard to keep the tears at bay, „you threw me your wand. You.. risked your life for me.. for all of us.. without you, I couldn’t have destroyed him, I was defenceless, I couldn’t have.. you are a hero, Draco!!“

„No, I’m not,“ Draco muttered against his shoulder. „Somebody else would have thrown you their wand and..“

„Yes you are,“ Harry whispered breathlessly, leaning back for tiny moment to look into Draco’s eyes, to take in his beautiful face and the fact that he was still alive, that he was still there and still his and that no Dark Lord and no one and nothing else would change that.

Draco raised his chin minimally and immediately felt Harry’s ripped and blood crusted - but oh merlin so warm and comforting and so Harry’s and SO HIS - lips on his own and instantly melted into Harry, his eyes shutting close and his body going limp and heavy against this unbelievable, unbreakable, and incredibly brilliant man whose arms were the only thing holding him up, safe and unyielding, right now. The kiss felt endless and elusive and almost overwhelming and like everything Draco had and could have ever wanted. He drew back because he just couldn’t face the intensity and intimacy he yearned for so, SO badly, here on the steps that lead up to Hogwarts. That would have to wait until they were alone. Harry’s thumb softly brushed a tear from Draco’s cheek, their foreheads leaning against each other.

„You‘re my hero you know..“ Harry whispered and chuckled, „and now, I am not going to share you with anyone or anything ever again.“

„MALFOY!!“

Ron‘s voice boomed up from the stairs a bit below them.

„I KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!!“

Draco flinched terribly, his head snapping back, his eyes seeking help in Harry’s face, looking more than slightly bewildered when all he did see was the crinkling corners of Harry’s eyes and the so lovely upwards curve of his gorgeous mouth.

Ron‘s hand crushed down on Draco’s shoulder.

„You‘re a hero, man. Well done handing Harry your wand. I saw it, respect, mate. Not everyone would have given up their own wand facing You-Kn.. Voldemort. Whether you want it or not, I am going to tell people what I saw. And you Harry, you hopeless little - “

„DRACO MALFOY!“

Hermione, who had supported a few other slightly injured Gryffindors in walking up the stairs and was now rapidly closing the gap between her and the other three a few steps above her, stormed towards Draco. For the second time, Draco looked as if he was about to make a run for it. Hermione stopped dead in front of him, her fists curled next to her sides.

„You.. you..“ and then she threw her arms around Draco’s shoulders and hugged him almost as tightly as Harry had done. Harry, who now stood beside him beaming, and who he wanted nothing more than to be alone with to drown him with all his emotions and thoughts, good and bad, winked at him.

„Thank you. Nobody else would have reacted as fast as you did.. or even at all. You two are just..“ Hermione drew back and looked Draco straight in the eyes, her face serious and her eyes glazed.

„You saved Harry. You saved us all. You are -„

„A hero, yes, Ron and I already told him.“ Harry grinned and firmly grabbed Draco’s hand, entwining their fingers. „But maybe he‘ll finally believe it if he hears it from someone responsible and grown up as you.“

Hermione smiled and took a step back, as if contemplating something. Then, she jumped back at them and pulled both of them into her arms at the same time.

„Thank you so much, both of you. We would all be dead.. if not for you. Or worse..“

„Expelled!“ Harry and Ron said at the same time and broke into roaring laughter. Draco looked quite confused but couldn’t help but grin, too.

Hermione blushed.

„Yeah, well..“ she shuffled her feet. „Ron and I, we should go up to the castle now, help and heal the wounded. See you later!“ she waved, grabbed Ron’s hand and drew him up the stairs.

Draco and Harry watched them for a moment. Then, Harry placed his hands on Draco’s hips, subtly supporting Draco by taking a little bit of weight of his visibly increasingly wobbly legs.

„You’re shaking. Let’s go inside,“ he said softly leaning his forehead once more against Draco’s. Draco placed his heavy arms around Harry’s neck and pushed his chin a tiny bit forward, so he could easily capture Harry’s lips. Harry let him, and again, the warmth that spread from Harry’s soft kisses through Draco’s jaw into his chest and the rest of his body until his fingers felt as if he was holding them into a fireplace was almost too much.

Draco took a step towards Harry, not that there was much space left between them, shifting his weight, and almost fainted from pain as his left leg gave in under him.

„NGHHH..!“

Harry was only just able to catch him and press him closely against his own body, himself so exhausted that he was holding up Draco by sheer will now.

„You’re injured,“ he wheezed, almost lifting Draco up from the step they were standing on so he didn’t have to strain his leg. „Let me see - “

„No.“

Draco hissed through the pain, little white lights dancing in front of his eyes, a high sound pitching in his ears, his blood churning in his veins and his stomach dropping all of a sudden as if he was going to be sick.

Harry leaned back as far as he could while still clutching onto Draco for dear life.

„Draco. You’re hurt. Let me have a look and do what I can to -“

„NO!” Draco repeated stubbornly, though he felt as if he was going to throw up if he had to take one more breath. „Not.. here. Not.. were everyone can see.“

Harry looked at him worriedly for a moment, as if he was pondering on whether Draco was so badly hurt that he had lost his mind or if he not wanting him to inspect his leg right there on the stairs of Hogwarts was indeed a reasonably responsible thought.

„Let me get you inside then, love,“ he said quietly after a few seconds and slung his right arm tightly around Draco’s waist so he wouldn’t have to use his left leg while hobbling up the stairs.

He would have just picked him up and carried him the rest of the way (he couldn’t care less about the dozens of cuts and bruises and maybe one or two broken ribs of his own and that, technically, by now and after THAT fight, he shouldn’t even be able to drag himself up just one more step, much less carrying a full-grown Draco who, thank Merlin, only had a few Centimetres on him, but was, with his disgustingly attractive slim body and lean muscles, still lighter than Harry), but he knew that Draco wouldn’t speak with him for the rest of the week if not his life if he did that and he couldn’t really risk that. Not now that, for the first time of their lives, they would have so much time just for the two of them, safe and happy and without having to worry about anything.

So he hauled Draco up another step and there it was, the inevitable, mandatory, but this time remarkably weak and hollow „I can walk on my own, Potter.“

„Shut up,“ Harry piped, though lovingly, and drew Draco in for a biting, penalising kiss, harassing his lower lip with his teeth as soon as he could get a grip of it and making a show of moaning gently against Draco’s mouth, feeling a bit lightheaded himself.

Draco jerked his head back, deeply startled.

„Potter, I believe there is still enough time for that when we’re not in plain sight of -“

„nobody said you couldn’t.“ Harry finished his sentence from before his teeth had viciously attacked the wellbeing of Draco’s mouth.

„But if you don’t comply and let me help you up those Merlin-damned stairs just because you’re too stubborn and proud and would gladly sacrifice your leg for the noble cause of preserving your honour, I have no problems to do things to you right here on this step that people might want to talk about far more than about you hobbling up the stairs with my help.“ he added sweetly, a whole world of promises hidden but not hidden in his smile that made Draco’s knees weak and his heart (and lower stomach area) pray that

Harry would keep as soon as they were on their own in the warmth.

„Arsehole,“ Draco offered and Harry laughed his throaty, husky laugh again, which did the rest for Draco’s strength and forced him to hold onto Harry with all he had left or simply roll down the stairs and just die from exhaustion somewhere down in the yard.

„Yes,“ Harry snickered, „but I‘m YOUR arsehole.“ he gently lifted him up another step and Draco winced, his body now completely disobedient.

„I got you, baby,“ Harry’s voice whispered so close to his ear and he shut his eyes and let Harry carry-drag him up the last steps and into the Great Hall, which didn’t look so great now after all anymore, as Harry observed.

He stopped inside the doors and looked around for a moment. Most of the tables had been vanished and there were camp beds placed against the walls, with at least one or two wounded crowded on every one of them. Only the Slytherin table had been left so family members and the uninjured pupils had somewhere to huddle around and try to mend their, well, mental wounds. It was there where he spotted the Malfoys.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is Part 2 of at least 4 parts, I guess? Thanks so much to everyone who read this and who gave kudos or even bookmarked whatever this is, it's the first official piece I've been writing ever and every bit of your interest and sign of appreciation means the world to me!! I'll now go edit Part 3, if you don't mind... =)

He carefully dragged Draco with him towards the Malfoys. When Lucius saw them, he jumped up ungraciously from the bench he had been sitting on, his wife next to him. Both were eerily silent, looking almost translucent.

„Draco, he is hurt, I don’t - “

„WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SON, POTTER!!“

The older Malfoy had the audacity to look as if he was going to throttle Harry any moment.

„Leave him alone, Father,“ Draco’s breath was shallow at Harry’s side.

„We will talk about this, Draco,“ Lucius snarled.

„No, we won’t,“ Draco hissed back and Harry didn’t know who he should be more concerned for or afraid of, with Draco publicly defying his father for Harry’s sake, which might well be ending in Lucius ripping Draco’s head off once back at the Manor.

„I am old enough to make my own decisions and I definitely do not need your permission to be with Harry.” Draco said as calmly as he could. “I have had enough of all this. Leave us alone.“

He swayed slightly in Harry’s arms and Harry instinctively pressed him closer to his side, which had the neat little side effect of driving Lucius ever madder than before.

„DRACO, YOU WILL NOT - “

„LUCIUS!“ Narcissa Malfoy intervened sharply, soothingly, and took a step around her husband and towards Harry, who was now visibly having trouble keeping a close to unconscious Draco upright.

„Harry,“ she said, her voice concerned but full of gratitude at the same time. She conjured up another bed and helped Harry place Draco on it.

„You have saved us all. I am - we are - “

She corrected herself with a stern look at her husband and then placed one hand on her son‘s chest while gently taking a hold of Harry’s wrist with her other hand.

„We are deeply in your fault. You have not only saved Draco several times, but the lives of all of us. We can never repay any of what you have done for us.“

Harry didn’t know how to reply. He was tired and emotionally exhausted and the only thing he could think about right now was Draco next to him, trembling from pain, and the possible extent of his injury.

„Look, he is hurt. I don’t know how severely, and I would heal him myself but I..“ he glanced helplessly at Lucius, and then around to where Hermione and Ron and Luna and a freshly healed Neville and several others of his friends were helping wounded pupils and their friends and family and everyone who needed healing or comfort. He suddenly wished he could just crawl under the table next to Draco and pass out, too, just holding his hand while Draco was being healed by his mother.

„Don’t worry, I will do what I can.“ Narcissa smiled at him tiredly, already bending over her son and hovering her wand over his leg. „You go and get yourself some help, Harry, and come back as soon as you can.“

Harry nodded and, for just a moment and despite Lucius’ dangerously narrowing eyes, crouched at Draco’s side and gently squeezed his hand. „I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere okay?“ and when he saw a tiny smile curling Draco’s lips, the very lips he ached to kiss right now to convince Draco that he himself wasn’t going anywhere, anymore, ever, to make him believe that he was just going to look for some help for himself and then come back to forget everything around them and just be with Draco, he felt a heavy weight coming off his shoulders. He suddenly felt as if all his responsibilities, all his duties and quests and his PURPOSE ended right here. As if public Harry had ceased to exist when Voldemort fell, and had made way for a private Harry, a Harry whose only concern was that Draco was safe and well, that his friends were happy, and, definitely last, that he himself wasn’t as close to breaking as he used to be. And maybe, even.. maybe Draco would help him mend. Heal not only his body like he had done so many times before, but also his mind, his soul. Harry had realised quite some time ago.. no, to be honest, he had known from their very beginning, that Draco and he would be able to help each other forget, help each other heal and grow into something more than their miserable past, together.

And right now, he was looking forward to starting this process with Draco so much that his chest was hurting and his eyes were burning. He struggled upright and, with a last gaze of mutual understanding between him and Draco’s mother, dragged himself over to where his friends had already reserved a bed for him to sit on while being checked up and where, as he noticed only now, Headmistress McGonagall was standing and watching Harry and the Malfoys from a respectful distance. When his feet wanted to carry him straight over to her, dutiful Harry as ever, Hermione took a step between them and stopped him.

„Harry, you need some rest. You can talk to McGonagall later.“

„Mione,“ Harry whispered, beaten. „I just want to get it over with and go back to Draco. I really do not feel like wasting any more time I could instead spend with him. He has been injured and I want to see..“

„His mother looks relieved. I can see her smiling at Draco’s father from here, so no worries and no excuses, Harry. Sit down and let me at least heal those nasty cuts and whatever is broken, Draco will be as concerned about your injuries as you are about his.“

Harry sighed and sat down heavily on the bed, his eyes following Narcissa Malfoy who had sat down on Draco’s bed and was gently talking to him, which meant that he was at least back to consciousness. He sighed again, feeling a little bit better already just from knowing Draco was okay. He shortly focused on Hermione who was fussing over his arm that, he had to admit when examining it closer, looked as if it had been ripped almost to shreds and, now that there was no silvery blond, half-conscious boy to support with all his strength anymore, hurt like a bitch.

„M‘ ribs, too,“ he mumbled when he caught just one of the several questions Hermione had apparently been firing at him for several moments now.

„He is fine, Harry,“ she murmured and turned around to have a look at the Malfoys as well, before she started to peel away the smoking remains of Harry’s sweater to get to his ribs.

„Oh lovely, not more than three broken,“ she muttered, sounding exasperated and exhausted. Harry shrugged and regretted it at the same time because, now that his adrenaline and the all-encompassing joy of victory were receding, it felt as if his ribs had shattered into a thousand different pieces that were now piercing his heart, lungs, and sticking out through his skin too. Harry whined and wanted to close his eyes but ripped them open again because he had caught some movement right at the other side of the hall. Some silvery blond movement. Draco, seemingly against the advice of his gently berating mother, had raised his head and was looking in his direction. Harry’s heart jumped, and he instantly forgot about his ribs, well, until he raised his right hand to slowly wave over to Draco to signal him that he was okay, too, and would be over in a minute.

Hermione, whose path of wand and thus spell he had interrupted with his movement, huffed.

„I am going to blindfold and deafen you if you don’t stop moving, Harry James Potter. It just takes ONE MINUTE and you’ll be good to go. Oh, and drink this..“ she handed him a goblet with a thick, golden liquid. „I will give you some of this to take over to..“ she nodded in Draco’s direction. „Professor Sprout and Professor Slughorn are trying to produce as much as they can, but it takes a while to brew.. it should bring most of your energy back in a bit and boost the healing process of any spells and herbs.“

„Thanks, Mione..“

Harry smiled tiredly and gulped down the liquid which tasted like nothing he had ever drunk, sweet and savoury and hot in his throat.

„Feel better? Well, do you think you could.. after talking to the Headmistress and bringing that to Draco I mean.. we have only so few healers but so many injured.. could you...?“

Harry groaned internally. Apparently, this would never stop. He would never be able to get rest, to not be responsible for every little thing happening around him, never not being asked for advice or help by his friends or people he didn’t even know.

„Sure,“ he whispered, letting his eyes close for just a moment. „Just let me.. a few minutes, okay..?“

„’course, Harry,“ Hermione answered, smiling carefully. „I know all of this is hard, especially for you, but.. from now on, it will only get better, right?“

„Yes. It will, yes. Hopefully.. it will.“

Again, he braced himself and stood, only wobbling a bit. He could already feel the strength returning to his limbs. He had to bring some of the potion over to Draco as soon as he could. But first..

„Mr. Potter.“

He turned around.

„Prof.. Headmistress.“ he said.

„Mr. Potter, I do not wish to delay your reunion with Mr. Malfoy any longer, just let me say two things: First of all, you have done so well. You have always carried all this weight on your shoulders and that wasn’t fair at all. But you have managed, you have fulfilled the prophecy and you have saved us all. Thank you, Harry.“

She took a step forward and gently placed her hands on Harry’s shoulders. „Your parents would be so proud. Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin would be so proud. All of your friends and everyone who knows you and knows what you have done for all of us will for ever be in your debt and will be proud of you as long as you live and beyond that. Again, thank you.“

She seemed in need to recollect herself for a moment and Harry could see her eyes glimmer wetly in the dim light of the hall.

„Second, I would like to inform you and Mr. Malfoy that, because of his invaluable deeds that have contributed to the fall of the most terrifying wizard of all time, he should be cleared of all of his misdoings and remain at this school until you both graduate. Of course, the council will have to have the last say in this, but you may rest assured that I will do everything that is in my power to redeem him. I would loathe to separate you two after all that you have gone through, after all that you have accomplished together today, and after Mr. Malfoys recent.. personal development. Would you please inform Mr. Lucius Malfoy that I would like to have a word with him in my office. And now, I will dismiss you, Harry. Send Draco my wishes for a quick recovery. You can go.“

Harry’s head whizzed and pounded with thoughts and emotions, but before he could utter anything that would count as a halfway polite and grateful reply, Professor McGonagall had already pushed him gently towards Hermione, who handed him a goblet with some of the golden liquid and nonchalantly shoved him off towards Draco.

He threaded his way around people who wanted to thank him and people who just stared up at him with blank eyes from wherever they were sitting because, now that the war was over, they had to deal with their unspeakable losses, and did not feel like thanking him for anything. He tried not to take in any of their anger and sadness and despair because, right now, it wasn’t of his concern.

Not anymore.

Not ever.

Not ever again.

The only thing he wanted was to get back to Draco, get rid of his father, of everyone else, and then snog Draco so fiercely that both of them would need a second goblet of that golden stuff.

He looked up from his feet (trying to avoid ALL THOSE PEOPLE in the hall) and was greeted by a familiar sneer (that was already sitting upright and being accompanied by a tired voice and so, so fond eyes to make up for it).

„So, did you already retrieve your praise from the Headmistress, Potter? Always in for another round of applause, huh, wonderful Potter with your scar and your br - “

And Harry didn’t give a wet shit of a Hippogryph that Lucius Malfoy was watching, he barely even managed to place the goblet on the table behind Draco, he just slumped down on the bed next to him and drew him in for a kiss that was intended to silence him for the next hour at least, teeth and tongue and hands in Draco’s wonderful silken, blood and mud caked hair and all. Behind him, he could hear Lucius choke on something he had been drinking before the hatred Potter had thrown himself at his beloved son in front of his very eyes. Next to him, he could hear Narcissa Malfoy‘s surprised laugh. Around them, he could make out people gasping and whispering, but none of it mattered.

He let his left hand slip from Draco’s hair and down his back to place it firmly between Draco’s shoulder blades, to simply hold him and make him understand that all of THAT was now over and that THIS was what would be from now on.


End file.
